Tomorrow morning sometime I will turn off commenting and randomly choose a winner in the Delicardo Foodcard Giveaway! Until then get your comment in as soon as you can! You still have a chance to win! Spread the word! Share...

The Toronto Star’s Health Zone reminds us just how many kids are nut or peanut allergic. Canada’s first nationwide food allergy survey shows that about 1.7 per cent of children under 18 have a probable peanut allergy, while another 1.59 per cent have a probable allergy to tree nuts, such as hazelnuts and walnuts. This study was from 2008-2009 and was conducted over the phone to 10000 families. That’s a good sized sample and shows that a great many children are affected. It’s also notable that there is a great difference between results in the US and Canada. He says the rates are higher in Canada than in the U.S. — a 2002 American study found that 0.83 per cent of children have peanut allergies and 0.51 per cent are allergic to tree nuts. Keep in mind the time between studies. It is possible for those results to have changed in 6 years. Read the whole article here. Share...

Another feature of Health Zone from the Toronto Star. The Chef Upstairs in Toronto has started offering cooking classes for children. The Chef Upstairs is a food allergy aware restaurant that is completely free of peanuts and tree nuts. Check out this full article. It’s great to see restaurants picking up on the need for specialty venues or even just being aware that a good portion of clients may have sensitivities and allergies. Share...

Margaret Pingolt is a journalism student at Arizona State University. She requested a few questions answered from yours truly for an article she was working on. Below is a wonderfully written piece on college age people and life away from home. Thanks, Maggie! By, Maggie Pingolt PHOENIX- Waking up the day of high school graduation is typically a gift from the gods, a chance to leave the confines of an underage life with parents. For some with food allergies, it’s just another day of heightened awareness. One misstep at the party buffet and the night is ruined in hives, sneezing or anaphylactic shock. Going to college is a difficult tradition in and of itself. In addition to a life threatening condition like food allergies, teens and young adults are at the highest risk of death because of vehicle accidents, drug overdose, and alcohol intoxication. Chelsey Heath, a freshman at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, has an anaphylactic peanut allergy. She feels many young adults with food allergies do not practice healthy behaviors. The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network says, “A study showed that teens with food allergy and asthma appear to be at the highest risk for a reaction, because they are more likely to take risks when away from home, are less likely to carry medications, and may ignore or not recognize symptoms. “ The inability to accurately assess risk is one reason many college students with food allergies disassociate themselves with behaviors that may prevent an allergic reaction. Some students may find healthy, safe options difficult to find on campus; others may feel they’re invincible to reactions. “I’m a very type-A person, but the average student who goes and get’s drunk could be in real danger. How many people would be able and willing to help them if they went into anaphylactic shock?” says Heath. Anaphylactic shock, the most detrimental of reactions, is categorized by a change in blood pressure, swelling of the esophagus and difficulty breathing. Symptoms may also include hives, swollen lips and change in skin tone. All reactions within the anaphylaxis range are deadly and must be treated immediately. Studies indicate those with food allergies are likely to struggle with more than one food allergy and a culmination...

The Toronto Star’s Health Zone has started a series of food allergy related articles in responce to Food Allergy Month. This article reviews a new study from Mcmaster University and Dalhousie University in Halifax where 30 children with peanut allergies are going through the ingestion immunotherapy process. One notable difference in thsi study compared to the one done in the US is that they will be allowing in children with severe reactions. The study in the US worked only with children whose allergic reactions were mild. Snippit Encouraged by the positive results of British and American trials on oral immunotherapy and peanut allergies, Canada will soon begin its own research. The study, being run by Hamilton’s McMaster University and Dalhousie University in Halifax, will focus on 30 children with peanut allergies. They will ingest small quantities of peanuts over an extended period of time. The British and American trials have shown that gradual and steady exposure to the peanut allergen can reduce or, in some cases, eliminate reactions altogether. Researchers aren’t calling it a cure, but it could be a big step in the right direction. “Children in the U.S. and England have been given tiny amounts of peanuts and it appears to be working,” says Dr. Susan Waserman, an allergist at McMaster and one of the Canadian study organizers. “Right now, there’s no treatment beyond avoidance and the use of (epinephrine auto-injectors), so this is all good news.” The project will be presented to an ethics board in the next few months, with the work beginning shortly thereafter. Read the full article here. Share...